May 22, 2018

Clade X Pandemic Exercise Highlights Policies Needed to Prevent or Reduce the Worst Possible Outcomes in Future Pandemics

The outbreak of a moderately contagious and moderately lethal novel pathogen precipitated a catastrophic end to the scenario in Clade X, the day-long pandemic tabletop exercise hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Security on May 15 in Washington, DC. 

Clade X simulated a series of National Security Council-convened meetings of 10 US government leaders, played by individuals prominent in the fields of national security or epidemic response. Their dialogue as the scenario unfolded addressed significant uncertainties in current prevention and response capabilities, hamstrung by policy challenges at the federal level.

PRESS RELEASE
Experimental MERS Treatments Enter Clinical Trial. Enrollment has begun in an early-stage clinical trial testing the safety of two human monoclonal antibodies designed to treat people infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. The trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, and is funded in part by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Department Health and Human Services. (NIH, 5/18/18)

NEWS
5 Takeaways from the USAID Supply Chain Hearings. On Thursday, almost nine months after Devex first reported that the United States Agency for International Development's largest-ever contract was facing major problems, the US Congress held a hearing to examine the $9.5 billion global health supply chain project. (Devex, 5/18/18)

NEWS
Top Democrats Want Answers on Global Health Security Head's Sudden Departure. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have requested answers from the White House about last week's sudden departure of Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer, who led the now-disbanded global health security team at the National Security Council. (Huffington Post, 5/18/18)

See also:  Global Health Security in the Trump Era: Time to Worry? (Center for Global Development, 5/17/18)

NEWS
Ebola Experts from US Centers for Disease Control Ready to Go to Congo. Ebola experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are ready to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo where an Ebola outbreak has spread to a major African city, increasing the risk of a global outbreak. (Reuters, 5/18/18)

REPORT
Outbreaks Associated with Treated Recreational Water - United States, 2000-2014. This report focuses on data in two groups of outbreaks associated with treated recreational water: 1) those that started during 2000-2012 and were previously summarized and 2) those that started during 2013-2014 and were electronically reported to the Waterborne Disease and Outbreak Surveillance System by December 31, 2015. (CDC, 5/18/18)

NEWS
CDC Warns Against Non-Essential Travel to Venezuela: Outbreaks, Breakdown of the Medical Infrastructure. Adequate health care is currently not available through the public health system in Venezuela. For this reason, in addition to crime and civil unrest, the US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens. (Outbreak News Today, 5/18/18)

BRIEF
PEPFAR's Impact on Global Health is Fading. During its fifteen years, PEPFAR has become one of the most important global health initiatives ever launched. However, its influence is fading, threatening the global fight against HIV/AIDS as the struggle against the pandemic faces a turning point. (Council on Foreign Relations, 5/18/18)

LEGISLATION
Senate HELP Committee Leaders Introduce Legislation to Combat Bioterrorism and Pandemics. Today, Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Bob Casey (D-PA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statements regarding the introduction of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018, a bill to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act. (Senator Richard Burr, 5/17/18)

See also: 

• S.2852, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018 (Senator Richard Burr, 5/18)
• A Bill to Reauthorize Certain Programs Under the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (US Congress, 5/18)

NEWS
Nearly 200 US Congressmen Push for Taiwan's Inclusion in WHA. A bipartisan group of 172 U.S. congressmen signed a letter delivered to WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus, which said that by preventing Taiwan from attending this year's World Health Assembly meeting, the organization is "complicit in Beijing's campaign to keep Taiwan out of meaningful participation in assemblies like these."  (Taiwan News, 5/17/18)

STATEMENT
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD on New Agency Efforts to Shine Light on Situations Where Drug Makers May be Pursuing Gaming Tactics to Delay Generic Competition. At the FDA, we're taking steps across a broad range of areas to improve new and generic drug competition as a way to improve access and affordability. Among these efforts, we're especially focused on addressing tactics we sometimes hear of branded companies pursuing as a way to forestall expected generic entry. (FDA, 5/17/18)

NEWS
FDA Admonishes Big Data Provider Over Error Concerning Opioid Prescriptions. In an unusual development, the Food and Drug Administration has sternly criticized a big provider of prescription data to the federal government after discovering an "inaccuracy" concerning the amount of fentanyl that was prescribed over the past year, as well as "data quality issues" regarding several other controlled substances. (STAT News, 5/17/18)

RESEARCH
Microglia are Critical in Host Defense Against Prion Disease. NIAID researchers infected mice with prions and depleted microglia from the brains of mice using PLX5622, an effective CSF-1R tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Microglia were markedly reduced in brains, and prion disease was accelerated, so that mice needed to be euthanized 20 to 33 days earlier than infected control mice due to advanced clinical disease. (Journal of Virology, 5/16/18)

See also:  Microglia Are Key Defenders Against Prion Diseases (NIAID, 5/17/18)

ANNOUNCEMENT
FDA Exempts Certain N95 Respirators from Premarket Notification Requirements. FDA and CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) share regulatory oversight of N95 respirators. In a final order released on May 16, 2018, FDA is exempting certain N95s from premarket notification [510(k)] requirements, and executing a Memorandum of Understanding with NIOSH. (FDA, 5/16/18)

See also:  Medical Devices; Exemption From Premarket Notification: Class II Devices; Surgical Apparel (Federal Register, 5/17/18)

PRESS RELEASE
 New Rapid Rabies Test Could Revolutionize Testing and Treatment. The new test, designed for use in animals, can more easily and precisely diagnose rabies infection, according to a study published today in PLOS One. The new LN34 test is simpler and easier to use than current tests. During the pilot study, it produced no false negatives, fewer false positive, and fewer inconclusive results.   (CDC, 5/16/18)

See also: Multi-site Evaluation of the LN34 Pan-lyssavirus Real-Time RT-PCR Assay for Post-Mortem Rabies Diagnostics (PLOS ONE, 5/16/18)

BLOG
Precision Public Health: What Is It? As the field matures, we should not lose sight of what we are trying to do at the population level, namely to use better and more precise data to target disease prevention and control, and to improve health and health equity worldwide. Using better public health surveillance, laboratory investigations and geospatial modelling may allow more precise targeted population interventions.   (CDC, 5/15/18)

WEBINAR
Legionella Webinar: Exploring National Guidance and Local Experiences. Legionnaires' disease is a respiratory disease caused by Legionella bacteria, which can be found in large water systems. In 2016, there were an estimated 6,100 cases of Legionnaires' disease in the United States. NACCHO invites you to learn more about Legionella and available resources and recommendations for protecting your community. The webinar will feature speakers from CDC, and will take place on May 30, 2018, 1-2 PM EST. (NACCHO, 5/18)

NEWS
How Volcanologists Predicted Kilauea's Explosive Eruption. "Part of the reason we have this opportunity to make good forecasts at Kilauea is that the volcano is extremely well-monitored," says Mike Poland, a USGS geophysicist and scientist in charge at Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. (Wired, 5/17/18)

PRESS RELEASE
NIST Launches Study of Hurricane Maria's Impact on Puerto Rico. The US Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology announced it will study the impacts of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico, focusing specifically on the performance of critical buildings and their dependence on distributed infrastructure (such as electricity and water), as well as emergency communications and the public's response to those communications. (NIST, 5/16/18)

NEWS
McCaskill Drafts Bill Aimed at Giving States Power to Regulate Air Ambulances. The legislation would force air ambulance providers to clearly separate the transportation costs from the cost to provide care on a consumer's bill. (Emergency Management, 5/10/18)

TWITTER CHAT
NACCHO Radiation Readiness Twitter Chat. On Tuesday, June 5, from 2-3 p.m., ET, NACCHO will host a Radiation Readiness Twitter Chat to help raise awareness of radiation preparedness resources and information. The NACCHO Twitter handle (@NACCHOalerts) will be hosting the chat using #RadReady. The target audience for the Twitter chat is federal, state, and local health department representatives hoping to learn more about radiation preparedness and engage in conversation with their public health peers on radiation preparedness topics. (NACCHO, 5/18)

NEWS
The Line Between Big Tech and Defense Work. Silicon Valley's history is inextricably linked to military work. The internet itself grew out of a project at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and many tech firms benefited from robust defense spending during the Cold War. More recently, however, some tech firms obscured their government ties, particularly after the 2013 revelations of government surveillance from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. (Wired, 5/21/18)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
DARPA Biological Technologies. The mission of BTO is to foster, demonstrate, and transition breakthrough fundamental research, discoveries, and applications that integrate biology, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and the physical sciences. BTO's investment portfolio goes far beyond life sciences applications in medicine to include areas of research such as human-machine interfaces, microbes as production platforms, and deep exploration of the impact of evolving ecologies and environments on US readiness and capabilities. (Grants.gov, 5/18/18)

This Week's Hearings

S.2852, Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018. US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. 5/23/18, 10 AM. Dirksen 430. More